Agenda item

Officers in attendance for this Item were:

John Hobbs, Strategic Director for Economy and Infrastructure

Dave Corbett, Management Information Analyst

Steph Simcox, Head of Finance

Performance Monitoring – Quarter 2 (July to September 2020)

Members had received the Quarter 2 Information Dashboard as part of the Agenda papers.

The Chairman referred to some of the outstanding queries from previous meetings.  Although these were being actively progressed, particular reference was drawn to the request for more detail in the reporting of potholes.  Officers were working with developers to adjust the mobile workforce app used by Ringway (the Council’s contractor).  Currently in testing, if approved, future Performance Information Dashboards would include the information the Panel had requested.  In relation to Public Rights of Way and the promotion of working with volunteers, there was a commitment to do so and a detailed response would follow.  Outstanding queries around Section 278 agreements were in the process of being signed off for circulation to the Panel.  

The Chairman invited questions and the following main points were made:

·         In response to a query about the depth of potholes in footways and highways, it was confirmed that there was a code of practice which the Council followed.  By acting in accordance with the policy, the Council would then satisfy its duties around inspections and repairs

·         Members commended the Council for its investment in highway maintenance, in comparison to neighbouring authorities.  The Director added that given the size and diversity of the Worcestershire network, it was not possible to offer perfect road or footway surfaces all of the time.  Between inspections, the Panel and the public were encouraged to report defects for assessment and appropriate intervention

·         The Council strived to keep the condition of its highways well above the national average, yet challenges for maintaining this included the intensity of traffic, in particular Heavy Goods Vehicles, flooding events and the weather, in particular winters of repeated freeze followed by thaw

·         When asked what remedial work should be carried out by a contractor, it was clarified that the surface should be restored to the standard it was before.  Although a challenge to follow up on every case, there was an Officer team responsible for this and problems should be reported.  The Cabinet Member with Responsibility (CMR) for Economy and Infrastructure added that occasionally there had been issues of contractors opening the road up too soon and not allowing the tarmac to properly cure, therefore there had been incidences of subsidence.  The Chairman believed that there was a regulation which could be implemented, possibly a Section 58 notice, which the Director agreed to clarify outside of the meeting   

·         A Member suggested that the Council’s database of highway and footway assets was not wholly accurate as they were aware of local queries over ownership

·         The national objective of food waste collection by the end of 2023 had not yet been discussed with District Councils.  The Panel noted that the Environment Bill needed to be passed into law, however, the costs involved would be large taking into account some past District Council experience in this area

·         In response to a query as to why Public Enquires (PEMs) should expect an increase in Quarter 3 (October to December), it was explained that seasonal differences were normal.  The Panel was pleased to note the continuing improvement in service, with 83% of September PEMs completed within 28 days.  Furthermore, it was clarified that responses were prepared by Council Officers and not external consultants.  A Member asked whether responses were routinely checked for quality, to be informed that there was a blend of automated responses and free text.  If members of the public were dissatisfied with a response, they should be encouraged to write again referencing the original enquiry.  Members were advised to highlight any known dissatisfaction to the Officer Team directly 

·         The Panel was pleased that 96.87% of Worcestershire’s homes and business premises were now connected to Superfast Broadband (24 Megabits per second) and encouraged the Council to ensure 100% coverage.  The CMR for Economy and Infrastructure agreed with the Panel and referred to the aspiration of having much faster connection through Fibre to the Premises (FTTP).  Its rollout would be to support the outstanding 3% of households and premises first

·         In relation to one of the public questions, it was clarified that reporting of CO₂ emissions was at a Corporate level and information would be shared with the Panel 

·         There was concern over the steady increase in the number of outstanding Public Rights of Way (PROW) reports.  It was unclear as to whether there was any particular reason for the figures, however, discussion took place as to whether additional staffing was required.  The Panel welcomed the use of volunteers and Officers had worked with community groups and Parishes to enable remedial works to be undertaken locally, whether by providing tools or appropriate advice and support.  Successful examples were given however, it was felt that the Council could do more, especially as residents were using local outside space more readily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   

In-year Budget Monitoring – Quarter 2 (July to September 2020) and 2021/2022 Budget Scrutiny

The Head of Finance reported that there had been no dramatic change during Quarter 2, however, the Directorate was now forecasting a small underspend of £23,000 at year end, rather than a small overspend.  The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was still challenging, especially for services that had to adapt or loss of income for services that had to cease.  To compensate, numerous central government grants continued to be received.

The Chairman invited questions and the following points were raised:

·         A Member queried whether the £637,000 draft variance in Planning and Regulation was due to the need to cover vacant posts with consultants, a point which the Director agreed to clarify after the meeting

·         The Panel discussed whether there was a wider concern about difficulties in recruiting to specialised positions and asked whether there was scope for the Council to appoint apprentices to build a professional team over time.  In response, the Director explained that the Council often engaged with Consultants for time limited work and had recruited recent graduates.  However, it would not be viable for the Council to have such an in-house team due to the lack of professional development opportunities.  In relation to current vacancies, the Director was not aware of any particular issues 

·         Reviewing the waste management service was a key area of work for 2021/22, with the Energy from Waste contract due to end in 2023.  The 25-year contract did have an option to extend for a further 5 years, however, the Council would need to determine whether it wished to renew or procure a new contract

·         A Member referred to the challenges of flooding events and expressed disappointment about the lack of Member communication, suggesting that other stakeholders were more informed.  Officers had previously agreed to provide regular Member updates on individual schemes

·         In relation to recycling, there was general support for the active encouragement already in place for residents, however, it was felt that more could be done corporately, especially for any future contracts awarded.  The Panel was very concerned about the impact on District Councils of the proposed food waste collection scheme, especially the associated costs and health and safety aspects.  It was felt that increased composting could compensate if the scheme was introduced

·         The CMR for Environment reassured the Panel that resident communication on recycling was consistent across the County, with the Council co-ordinating the production of literature.  The ‘Let’s Waste Less’ Team and Education specialists had not been operating through the COVID-19 pandemic; however, their work would continue when safe to do so.  Furthermore, the CMR recognised that if the Environment Bill was passed, it could take District Councils until 2027 to fully comply as changes to the vehicle fleet would also be required

·         In relation to organisational redesign, the Director reported that work on the 2020/21 savings and efficiencies was in progress, however, a new Directorate management structure had been implemented.  Further work on improving processes would be carried forward and although as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working was likely to become part of usual working practice over time due to the savings achieved

·         The key area of implementing a single ‘front door’ for access to Council services was a corporate development, however, the Director believed that there was a need for specialised information, advice and guidance for certain services within his Directorate.  Furthermore, the development of a strong digital offer was more suited to processes, such as reporting an issue, rather than offering tailored support

·         For clarity, market availability and the ability to provide services was, in part, reference to the demand for professionals, for example in the engineering sector, but also in areas such as the sustainability of transport operators.  In addition, the difficulties caused with Teams, when a team member being absent due to COVID-19 enforces the remaining team members to self-isolate

·         A Member suggested that the different ways of working due to the pandemic had highlighted the value of a digital offer, however, it was important to share learning and upskill staff to utilise the software available.

In summing up, the Chairman highlighted to the Director and Cabinet Members three areas which the Panel had been monitoring throughout the year and felt were under-performing:

-          s278 agreements – it was taking too long to get technical drawings approved, causing delays to infrastructure being built

-          Public Rights of Way – there was an increasing number of issues (as discussed earlier in the meeting) which it was important to look at ways of reducing

-          Data Collection – the Panel had commended the Council on its high quality highway maintenance and was pleased to hear that the new Ringway app would hopefully provide the data to support this   

The meeting was adjourned between 12:05 and 12:10pm